Robbie’s self mantra while coaching is simple. “Only connect”. His goal is to meet you where you are at - whether you’re a first time rider, or seasoned racer. His relaxed and casual attitude will help put you at ease and keep things fun. Robbie’s technique and theory presents itself in a relatable way based on your experiences and learning style. Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic modalities are used during each lesson. Coach Robbie will demonstrate and break down each technique into the physics and body mechanics behind the execution of each move. He will film you and deconstruct your movement in real time. Robbie will adapt his approach to meet your age and ability.

Assessment starts when you first meet. Are you uncomfortable unloading your bike, or did you pull a slick one-handed wheelie into a controlled stoppie right in front of him? Throughout your lesson he will check in with you, using his keen eye to pick up on subtle differences in your body language, enthusiasm and fatigue level.

Robbie sees mountain biking as a lens to communicate more than just how to ride a bike. The parallels between safely enjoying the sport, and how to navigate our challenging world, are too numerous to list! With Robbie’s guidance, the trail offers many lessons that help to develop young minds into healthy adults. Life skills like self reliance, perseverance, problem solving, managing self talk & mindset, risk management, considering others and how our actions impact those around us, dealing with failure and the joy of earning both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are all lessons to be realized while enjoying the sport.

For younger riders Robbie empowers kiddos by (casually) requiring students to direct their lesson. What do they want to do? He’ll change things up frequently to avoid frustration, and keep things fun. With small groups Robbie will utilize a rider’s strengths on the bike and use them to help demonstrate & lead where appropriate, supporting their growth as a potential leader and role model for their same age peers while limiting the amount of time young riders are standing still. Your child will be appropriately challenged based on their ability, with a strong emphasis on personal responsibility (When Mom & Dad aren’t here, what can you do on your own?)

Robbie believes his time with your children is a privilege. Thank you for allowing him to be a part of your village! Parents can expect a detailed recap of your child’s session. As a former teacher, Robbie’s observations may help address behavioral & cognitive development.

Coach Robbie values all mountain bike coaching techniques and enjoys examining other methods. During your session you are encouraged to challenge Robbie’s method with other instruction you may have had, debunking misconceptions and taking what works (or doesn’t) from other programs like BICP, PMBIA, and of course, YouTube.